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Forbes has noted a meteoric rise in the use of social media websites, based on surveys conducted by the Pew Research Internet Project. According to this research, in 2005 only 8 percent of adults who were online said that they used social media websites. In
2013, this figure had risen to 72 percent. And users are spending more time on these sites than you might think.

Americans between the ages of 18 and 64 spend an average of 3.2 hours each day using social media. If insurance agents want to sell, they have to be where potential clients are, which increasingly means social media.

As the most popular and frequently used social media site, Facebook is an ideal place to begin establishing your social media presence. You can have a simple Facebook profile up and running in just a few minutes, and you can flesh out your Facebook profile with bells and whistles such as videos when you’re ready.

The biggest flaw of most insurance agents’ Facebook pages is that they have their agency’s address, hours, contact information and little else of interest. The power of social media is that it’s an active medium that enables interaction and sharing. Post interesting stories, link to articles, or helpful insurance resources for consumers.

Twitter

The three keys to getting started on Twitter are:

1) Follow other insurance agents to see what types of tweets resonate with their Twitter followers.
2) Remember Twitter’s 140 character limit for tweets necessitates using a URL shortener like Bit.ly if your tweets contain links.
3) Stay patient. It can take months to gain a sizable Twitter following and see your influence pay dividends, but when it does, we promise it will be worth it.

Your LinkedIn network is probably larger than you think, and when you factor in connections of connections, this represents a significant opportunity to generate more leads and referrals. Oh, and it probably goes without saying, but make sure that you are connected on LinkedIn to all of your current clients that have LinkedIn accounts.

So, there you have them, our tips for increasing your presence on the most useful social media platforms. If there is only one takeaway, it’s this: Social media sites aren't just useful because a large number of people spend a lot of time on them. They're useful because unlike traditional media, they’re active, not passive. They let you create a conversation and interact with people in a way that traditional media doesn’t. That’s the true power of social media.

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About the Author

Agent Marketing Accounts Manager @ QuoteWizard.
QuoteWizard is the largest privately held lead generation company in the insurance industry. My role is primarily production of content marketing and management of PPC & SEO to drive qualified leads for my sales team. Looking to dive into agent co... More